There’s just something about fresh greenery during the holidays. The fragrance alone can brighten any room! Pre-decorated evergreen wreaths are wonderful, but at Tagawa’s, you have a choice. If you can decorate a Christmas tree, you can decorate your own fresh wreath, too!
Introducing our Meagan!
I invited Meagan, one of my Outreach and Events buddies, to show us how easy it can be to dress up one of Tagawa’s beautiful fresh undecorated wreaths.
Before she begins decorating, Meagan “fluffs” the soft, supple greens… loosening the branches and helping them open up so they look more fresh and natural.
Tagawa’s carries plain wreaths in sizes just perfect for a front door or big eye-catching wreaths that will make a grand statement on a large living room wall.
Because Colorado can be so dry, I always recommend spraying fresh greens with “Wilt Stop,” a spray made from pine sap that I’m convinced can help preserve the greens.
Let the fun begin!
Once you’ve fluffed your wreath, it’s time to accessorize! This is where your individual tastes and personality get to shine! How elaborately you decorate and what types of decorations you choose are completely in your hands!
Tagawas has lots of options when it comes to bling for your wreath. Faux decorations like wired berries and pine cones are extremely easy to work with. Maybe you’d like to include small ornaments that bring back family memories. Look at your undecorated wreath as an empty canvas and go from there!
Start with small bundles
One of Meagan’s favorite design tips involves “layering,” laying small decorative pieces on top of each other to create dimension and depth. Rather than inserting each decoration one at a time, create little bundles by laying three or four pieces on top of each other like a tiny bouquet, and then inserting that bundle into the tree as a single piece. It’s especially attractive if the items you bundle together have pleasantly contrasting colors and textures.
Adding some additional fresh greenery, just as Meagan has done here on the right with bits of incense cedar, can add even more interest and appeal. She also finds it helpful to think of weaving the pieces of the bundle together, to make them look like something Mother Nature created.
Meagan says this is all part of the design process. Have fun! Experiment with what to include in your bundles until you have just the look you love!
Odd numbers appeal to the eye
It’s a long-standing artistic principle: odd numbers are often more interesting than even ones. For this project, Meagan decided to have a total of three bundles on her wreath.
Each of the finished bundles was attached with 22 gauge floral wire, readily available at craft stores. She tucked each bundle deeply into the greens, then slipped the wire around the bundle and the wreath, working it into the foliage where it couldn’t be seen.
She pulled the wire very tight to secure each bundle, then gave the wire a few twists before tucking the tails of the wire into the wreath.
Meagan encourages aspiring wreath decorators to look for decorative pieces close to home: a bit of dried seed head perhaps, in this case, some dried sedum.
She also considered adding a sprig or two of a fragrant fresh herb, like sage, which can be left to dry in place.
Both could be attached with a bit of hot glue.
And the results?
I think the finished wreath is as lovely as the lady who decorated it! The wreath is so appealing because Meagan’s placement of her bundles creates movement, drawing the eye in a loose circular motion, as water gently moving in an eddy.
Create a wreath-decorating tradition in your family!
Once your tree is up (Tagawa’s has hundreds of beautiful trees to choose from!), maybe set aside an hour or two to decorate a fragrant fresh wreath as another way of celebrating the season! Or maybe bring home one of our large wreaths and let the children create their own decorations!
Even if you don’t have room for a tree, a fresh evergreen wreath with decorations inspired by your own imagination can bring its own special warmth to the holiday season.
Happiest of holidays from all of us at Tagawa Gardens!
